>> This is a terrible weakness in Australian Fido,

 >  NP> Maybe the mail movers don't see it as a weakness. They may see
 >  NP> it as a source of power ????

 >   I don't think so... it's more likely they've been sucked into it;
 > taking up the slack as others drop off. It's totally unfair to
 > interstate links if AVT is 100K and costs 10c a day, say, to a node
 > who has no interest in us but pays $37 a year extra to carry us.

As we said, it is their choice.

 >   As long as the load is spread it's okay (everyone wins a few and
 > loses a few),

But the load aint spread to any significant degree

 > is carried interstate and interzone by the one who wants that area
 > for himself, and who then makes that area available to everyone else
 > at no extra cost, locally. That's not the way it works now.

It's not, as we have discovered.

There appears to be a backbone that carries the bilk of the interstate
mail, but I don't know how or why it was established.

If I mention the word Michael Butler in this message, his scanner may pick it
up, and we may get an explanation on the backbone :-)

 >   Fido is great!

Suits me just fine too.

Kind regards
Niels Petersen

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